Monday night\u2019s game between the Bears and Seahawks in Seattle comes with a subplot. Other than the ongoing Joe Buck and Troy Aikman drama.<\/p>\n
The league has twice fined Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams for displaying an \u201cunauthorized logo\u201d (i.e., \u201cthe logo of a company that doesn\u2019t pay us\u201d) on his shoes. After the Week 6 game against the Falcons, the league fined Williams $11,941. After the Week 7 game against the Patriots, the league fined Williams $23,882 \u2014 twice the amount of the first fine.<\/p>\n
Williams has said he will continue to wear the Caddix cleats, citing safety considerations. Unlike most if not all other NFL players who use Caddix footwear, Williams declines to cover the identifying markings with tape.<\/p>\n
While the controversy calls back to former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon\u2019s battles with the league over his Adidas headband during a playoff game (after being fined $5,000, he went with \u201cROZELLE\u201d for the NFC Championship and \u201cPOW-MIA\u201d for the Super Bowl) and to Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher\u2019s whopping $100,000 fine<\/a> for wearing a VitaminWater hat to Super Bowl XLI media day, Williams\u2019s choice of footwear is rooted in the basic belief that the shoes promote player safety.<\/p>\n As to the refusal to cover the shoes with tape to hide the Caddix markings, it\u2019s unclear whether he\u2019s concerned about undermining the performance of the shoe or whether he\u2019s simply trying to prove a point.<\/p>\n The NFL is clearly trying to prove a point, by fining him repeatedly. And while both prior fines are pending on appeal, a third fine is inevitable unless Williams bends.<\/p>\n Regardless, the next chapter arrives tonight. Neither of the fine letters threaten Williams with preventing him from playing if he doesn\u2019t tape over the logos and markings. If the league decides to do that, Williams will have a pretty big decision to make.<\/p>\n